The family of a woman who died at North Memorial Medical Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota has settled a lawsuit with the hospital over its failure to provide sign language interpreters. Mary Ann Nelson's family had met with doctors for months without understanding she was dying of cancer. Both her and her husband David were deaf. The Minnesota Department of Human Rights says the medical team failed to communicate effectively with the Nelsons. State regulators say North Memorial has now agreed to pay $105,000 to settle charges that she and another patient were not provided proper access to qualified sign language interpreters. David Nelson had repeatedly asked for an interpreter. The other deaf patient involved in the suit, Mark Epstein, filed a complaint saying he asked for an interpreter every day at North Memorial during his 2007 hospitalization but was turned down. Even though North Memorial employees claimed he never asked for an interpreter, state regulators said it didn't matter. An interpreter was needed in Epstein's case and the medical personal had a duty to recognize the need and do something about it. North Memorial now must not only pay the agreed amount, it must provided training for workers and begin using video relay with deaf patients. Hopital officials must produce evidence that they are complying with the agreement for the next two years.
